By Jabez Yakah
On Monday, April 1st, 2024, Judith Suminwa Tuluka was appointed as the first ever female prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). She succeeds former prime minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde. Her appointment follows a search for majority coalition in the National Assembly or the formation of government by President Tshisekedi.
In an interview on national television, Judith Suminwa said, “I am aware of the great responsibility … We will work for peace and the development of the country.”
As prime minister of the DRC, she will be responsible for pushing further the president’s priorities of youth, employment, women and national cohesion.
Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi appointed the country’s first-ever female prime minister, naming planning minister Judith Suminwa to the role.
An economist, she takes over as prime minister from Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, following Tshisekedi’s sweeping re-election as president on December 20.
Tshisekedi’s inauguration for a second term in January kick-started a lengthy search for a majority coalition in the National Assembly – a key step before a prime minister could be named and a government formed.
Tshisekedi officially triumphed with 73.47 percent of the vote in December, and the election passed largely peacefully in a country long torn by violence and instability.
The opposition branded the ballot a sham.
Voting was officially extended by a day due to logistical snarls, and polls were open for days afterwards in remote areas.
PM’s challenges
Parties supporting Tshisekedi garnered more than 90 percent of the seats in parliament, allowing him to legislate with ease.
The new prime minister will be tasked with pushing the president’s declared priorities of employment, youth, women and national cohesion for the nation of about 100 million people.
Tshisekedi first became president in 2019 promising to improve living conditions in the DR Congo – which boasts mineral riches but has a largely impoverished population – and put an end to 25 years of bloodshed in the east.
The president failed to keep those promises, but he campaigned for a second term on his achievements such as free primary medication, asking for another mandate to “consolidate” the progress.
According to the United Nations, some seven million people have been internally displaced by conflict in the DR Congo, one of the world’s poorest countries.
The security situation has worsened in North Kivu province, where a Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 has seized swathes of territory over the last two years.
About Judith Tuluka Suminwa
Judith Tuluka Suminwa is a Congolese politician. She served as Minister of Planning in the Lukonde government. She was appointed as Prime Minister on 1 April 2024, becoming the first woman to serve in the role.
Tuluka obtained a master’s degree in applied economics at the Free University of Brussels and a diploma of additional studies in Work in developing countries.
She worked in the banking sector before joining United Nations agencies including UNDP where she was a national expert in a community support project in the east of the country. She then worked in the office of the Ministry of the Budget before becoming the deputy coordinator of the Presidential Strategic Watch Council (CPVS).
Tuluka was appointed Minister of Planning in the Sama Lukonde government on March 24, 2023.
Judith Suminwa Tuluka is one of the 16 women of the DRC’s government. She has proven herself in the agencies of the United Nations system and in the technocratic circle of the President of the Republic. Judith Suminwa holds a master’s degree in Labor Sciences -Administration and Personnel Management; orientation Labor in Developing Countries from the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Economic Sciences; option Financial Management, Facultés Universitaires catholiques de Mons (FUCAM) – Belgium. She is a graduate in accounting from the “Ecole de promotion et de formation Continue” (EPFC) in Brussels. Judith SUMINWA was a senior expert in international development with experience in different country contexts and experience in change management. She is an expert in development formulation and programming, coordination, strategy management, budget monitoring and program monitoring and evaluation. She has over 20 years of national and international experience in the field of Democratic Governance and Peacebuilding, including security governance. She is also experienced in public finance, including budget reform monitoring and linkage to civil service modernization.
Prior to assuming the position of Minister of State in charge of Planning, Judith Suminwa was the Deputy Coordinator in charge of administrative and operational issues for the Presidential Strategic Watch Council (PSWC).
Source: https://www.france24.com , www.wikipedia.com , www.eiti.org
